In Our Path
March 23, 2008 11:01 AM

In Our PathIn the 1980s and 1990s I photographed the building of the Century Freeway, or as it's more commonly called, I-105 in Los Angeles. Running east from LAX this was one of the last freeways to be constructed in the state's regional master plan (although there were many additional freeways proposed and many where completion was still in limbo). A seven year court injunction was filed by homeowners, the NAACP, and the Sierra Club in the early 1980s to stop construction of this freeway. It was during this time I began to photograph. In the early 1990s, with the injunction lifted and construction resuming, I was commissioned to rephotograph the area by the public interest law firm which handled the litigation for the homeowners. This public works project is significant because, for the first time, government money was mandated by the court for replenishment housing for those who were dislocated and for training programs for women and minorities within the freeway corridor. Both series are included in this Web site, along with a group of historical photographs of Southern California freeways from photo collections now housed at the Los Angeles Public Library.
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